
Nine Years Later: Why Their Stories Still Matter
It’s been nearly a decade since I first sat across from those five remarkable women who served in Vietnam: Ann, Judy, Jeanne "Sam," Lily, and Lucki. I had no idea how profoundly their stories would affect me. Each brought a different perspective: Ann as a Special Services Librarian, Judy in Special Services Recreation, Jeanne "Sam" with the Red Cross as a "Donut Dollie," Lily as an Army Nurse, and Lucki as an Army Intelligence Specialist. Their stories have lived with me ever since, growing and evolving as we’ve found new ways to share them with audiences around the world.

Look Back in Hope
Right now, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The endless corruption, the fear for those we love, and the uncertainty of how to even begin to fight back—it can be paralyzing. The arts community, too, is weighed down by these same forces. But if there’s one thing history has shown us, it’s that those in power have always tried to control the work of artists. This is a fight as old as art itself. And though the current moment may be terrifying, the quote “history repeats itself” doesn’t always have to be a bad reminder. As a historian, sometimes looking back gives me the exact story I need to remind me that artists always find a way to resist.